As mentioned on the previous page, you’ll want to have a mix of both formative and summative assessments that align with your learning objectives. Having multiple formative assessments over the duration of your course can give you a more accurate picture of students’ understanding than a single assessment like a final exam or final project. In addition, formative assessments allow students to receive feedback to improve their learning before more heavily weighted assignments. To help you create your assessments, this page will provide some ideas for formative and summative assessments and list some related digital tools.
Formative Assessment Ideas
| Formative Assessments | Purpose | Related Digital Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Concept map or diagram | By creating a visual representation, students must clarify their understanding of the relationships between concepts. | |
|
Entry ticket |
Get students to activate their prior knowledge by asking them a question that connects to the content that is being introduced in class or at the beginning of a learning module. | |
| Exit ticket | Assess students’ understanding of the content they learned during the module or class session. Various prompts, such as the “Connect, Extend, Challenge” protocol can be used. | |
| Collaborative low-stakes quizzes | Get students to pool and exchange their knowledge as they come to an agreement on the best answer to questions. |
Summative Assessment Ideas
| Summative Assessments | Purpose | Related Digital Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Video presentation | Students demonstrate their learning by creating a video that can then be uploaded and shared with peers and the instructor for feedback. | GoReact |
| Portfolio | Students curate artifacts that demonstrate their growth and learning in the course. | Google Sites |
| Podcast | Students create a podcast that entertains and informs as a way to demonstrate their learning. | Panopto |
| Research poster | Students create a poster that summarizes their research and learning on a topic that can be presented online or face-to-face. | Google Slides |
Learn more about effective assessment practices on Brown's Sheridan Center website.